The 2026 MLB season is over for the New York Mets, and now they are in offseason mode. One major question mark hanging over the Mets is whether or not infielder Bo Bichette will opt out of his contract.
Bichette’s current contract with the Mets sees him earn $42 million per year over the next two years, per Spotrac. Nonetheless, the question is whether the veteran produced enough this season for another team to pay him more.
In the 2026 season, a batting average of .260 with 166 hits, 18 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 76 runs scored in 160 games, per StatMuse. With an offseason decision looming for Bichette, SNY’s MLB insider Chelsea Janes shared her outlook on how this situation will play out.
“[Juan Soto] and [Francisco] Lindor certainly talked like guys who really wanted Bo Bichette back and have probably communicated that to him,” Janes said during a Sept. 28 appearance on “Baseball Night in New York.”
“I think Bo Bichette stays. I expect him and his agent to kind of let it play out a little bit, make it seem like they get a feel for the market, just kind of make sure that no one’s going to change his thinking.”
Insider Shares Few Other Reasons Bo Bichete Will Stay
Moreover, aside from Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor potentially being in Bichette’s ear telling him to stay, Janes also noted two other reasons why she believes the Mets infielder will remain in New York and not opt out of his contract.
“He settled in here, and he came here for a reason,” Janes added. “I believe what Bo Bichette said early on, that he understands what New York is, and he wants to succeed here. So I think he’s now comfortable. Frankly, his numbers just weren’t that good. It’s not a platform year. So it was $42 million and try again. I think it’s now a bit of a no-brainer.”
Bo Bichette Urged to Remain With Mets for 2027 Season
Recently, John Harper of SNY urged Bichette to remain with the Mets and not opt out of his contract. Harper believes that if the infielder decides to test the market again, no team will give him more than the $42 million per year he’s earning in New York.
Moreover, there’s a potential lockout looming, so it might be in Bichette’s interest to stay with the Mets and possibly test the market next year if he has a better season, given that his three-year contract has opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.
“You’ve got the lockout coming,” Harper said in a Sept. 11 video on SNY’s YouTube channel. “You’re not sure what the salary structure is going to look like, if there’s a cap or not. I think that’s part of it too. [Bichette] has been good since the terrible start, but I was looking at it, and he’s not a superstar. He’s a really good offensive player [and] has got an under .800 OPS in the second half, when he’s done most of his best hitting.
“He doesn’t hit for a lot of power [and] he’s been a clutch guy again since the bad start, hitting almost .300 with runners in scoring position. To me, [$84 million] for the next two years; you can go out in the market after that [but] you’re not getting [$42 million] a year anymore. Now you’re getting a longer contract, but I would stick it out for these two years and then maybe take my chance.”
Mets Get Insider Prediction on Bo Bichette Amid $42 Million Decision